Eye for the Samurai
by FaiKazahaya
Summary: In the palace of Nihon, there lives a young apprentice running on his vengence for the murderers of his family. With his homeland gone and loved ones dead, will he ever find love again? And what's with that damn blonde idiot trying to pull with the too-friendly attitude of his? Nico/Will Solangelo (Tsubasa Reservoir Crossover with Kuro/Fai and Sakura/Syaoran)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Do I have to keep doing these? I dunno. I no own anything Uncle Rick owns. I no own anything CLAMP owns either.**

**Eye for the Samurai**

Skies were ablaze with fire-lit iron barrels and high-standing lantern polls, but he shied from every lick of heat they provided on this cold, rainy day. Other than the orange and reds of the fire-consumed kindling, the day was a dull grey, and the clouds above were even more so, dripping their fat droplets of grey water every so often onto the nose of the boy who huddled in the corner of a city alley, filthy with the indistinguishable mud and cooled cow pats.

The boy sniffed, glaring distastefully at the sky, as if just _daring_ it to start pouring again. He was already soaked to the skin from the last fall of the pregnant clouds above, and he was hugging himself in a vain attempt to warm his shivering form. His black hair plastered itself to his head, dripping the occasional drop of rainwater onto his shoulder, and he shivered each time one landed.

In short, the boy was miserable, but he gritted his teeth and bore it. If rain would bother him after what had happened, he would be looking past what was important.

Rain would not be his enemy. There was already a more formidable foe for him to track down.

He turned his gaze to a nearby lantern, providing his little alley a small source of light before the sun arose from its slumber in night in a few hours to come. A looming, hooded figure caught his gaze, startling him from his anger at everything.

A man—or at least the boy could guess it was a man, the figure was _huge_—was standing just outside of the lantern's circle of light, turned towards the boy. It seemed as though the guy was looking right at him.

The boy shuddered and curled in on himself, glaring challengingly at the man. _You won't mess with me. You do, I bite._

The man stepped into the light, and removed the hood from his head. He gazed directly at the glowering boy with piercing red eyes, such a reminder of the flames in the lantern above the man's head. He had black hair, though, just like the boy did, though it wasn't nearly as filthy as his was.

The boy's upper lip curled away from his teeth as the man walked toward him, a low growl escaping his parted teeth in warning. _Don't come near me. I _will_ bite you if I have to._

The man ignored this and kept walking until he was right in front of the boy, absolutely towering over the tiny huddled form.

"You have a fire in your eye," the man said, in a startling low voice that was deep and clear, and a strong accent the boy couldn't place. "You could be a fine warrior."

The boy blinked, faltering with his defensive glares for but a moment. "What?" he rasped, disbelieving.

The large man kneeled before him. "Do you want to become strong?" he questioned, red eyes intense. "To strike at your foes and fell them by your own hand?"

The boy faltered again. How did he…?

"I can see it by the light in your eyes," he answered the boy's unanswered question. "You have an unsettled vengeance to sate. I know because I was once that way as well, and I know what you're feeling."

"No you don't," the boy hissed, snapping his teeth. "_No one can_."

The man looked unimpressed. "My parents were murdered in the same night by two different beings that were linked by one man," he stated calmly. "And I know a mage who lost his family and his brother just because he was born a twin in the Northern Province, as well as a couple in the desert where the woman lost her memories and the man lost his family and the love of his life because she could no longer remember him for a long while. And all could be blamed on that one man that killed my parents. And do you know what happened to that man?"

"You killed him?" the boy huffed, bored.

The man's mouth quirked up at a corner. He held out a hand which was torn in places, revealing a strange, alien-like inside almost like machinery. "It took a lot of suffering to get that chance we had for me to stab that bastard in the chest with my sword. Are _you_ willing to suffer to sate your thirst for revenge?"

The boy looked up at him levelly. "What do you want me to do?"

"Train hard," the man said, lowering his hand and standing. "Train adequately, and learn the ways of the warrior rather than run blindly to certain death. I can see the potential you hold from that fire within you, and I would rather you not waste it." He turned away and walked a few steps, before turning slightly back to the boy on the ground. "My name is Kurogane," he said. "What is yours?"

I glared up at him defiantly, still unsure whether to trust the guy or not. His methods seemed rather shady. "Nico."

Kurogane nodded. "Come with me, boy, and you can train to be strong to fight your enemies, and protect those you love. Come now, because I won't slow down for you. There's food and water where I'm staying."

And the man walked off.

Kurogane seemed strange to Nico, but it was a familiar presence as well. It was as if Nico could somehow _sense_ that the man was saying truthful things about his past, and about those that he knew. But why he was telling Nico his backstory, the boy had no clue.

It was only the thought of food that got Nico up and dashing after man.

Everything else could wait until his stomach was full.

* * *

><p>Will could have lived without the jolting and shuddering of the horse carriage's unsteady trek across an endless dirt road.<p>

Granted, it sent shivers down his spine with the already-present excitement for going to see his parents' friends in Nihon, and set his adrenaline rush on high, but it was making his butt go numb. At his umpteenth uncomfortable shift on the hard wooden floor, his mother turned to look at him, strawberry-blonde hair swaying in the breeze and emerald eyes soft but stern as they looked down at her son.

"Oh, come now, William," she said in a soft scolding voice. "If it's that bad, you'll neverbe able to go on travels with your father!" The boy squirmed and hunched in on himself, flushing in humiliation.

Will's father was an archeologist, always travelling to different places to learn the secrets in the past. It was the reason Will was named as he was, as William was a name his father had found while translating an ancient text deep within the underground catacombs of a dead land. And though Will wanted nothing more than to follow his father in his never-ending travels, if it took this much carriage-riding, Will might just refuse! He was only _eight,_ Goddess have mercy!

My father turned at the front of the carriage where he was holding the horses' reins. His amber eyes melted into amusement, and he chuckled a bit, his own brown hair swaying like Will's mother's was. "Tired already, Will?"

Will muttered unhappily under his breath, face bright red as he rubbed his sore bottom.

Mother's eyes softened. "We're almost there, aren't we, Syaoran?" she asked her husband.

His father looked to the map beside him for reference. "Only a few minutes from here, actually, if I remember correctly."

Will's mother smiled gently. "You're always right, Syaoran," she assured him.

He flashed a quick smile over his shoulder, and returned his attention back to the reins. "Thanks, Sakura."

"So… What are they like?" Will wondered, bouncing with the shuddering of the carriage. His mother, Sakura, placed a gentle arm around his shoulders to still him.

"Where to start?" Will's father, Syaoran, chuckled.

"Oh, hush," Sakura sighed, but her voice was filled with only warmth and longing. "Kurogane-san and Fai-san aren't bad!"

"I wasn't calling them _bad_!" Syaoran defended himself. "_Interesting_ is more like it. Or _unique_."

Sakura's smile widened. "Unique is good. It fits them."

Will waited impatiently for his mother or father to continue, bouncing again.

Sakura almost frowned. "But to describe them to you… Well, Kurogane-san is a bit…"

"Stubborn?" Syaoran suggested, not sounding as if he meant it rudely. His voice was merely suggestive.

"And a bit brash," Sakura agreed. "You'll recognize him immediately, don't worry. Remember what to look for?"

"A _really really_ big and tall man," Will drawled. "With spiky black hair and red eyes."

"Yes," Syaoran agreed. "Very tall. And Fai-san?"

"Also really tall, but not as tall as Kurogane-san. He has disheveled blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail, and blue eyes, like me!"

Sakura smiled. "Yes, the two of you _do_ share a resemblance." Her eyes saddened a bit, but she didn't explain what was bothering her. There was a long, deafening silence that spoke of many years of struggle and pain. Will knew his parents were thinking of their pasts with the two men they were going to Nihon, Japan to visit.

"We're here," Syaoran declared.

"YAY!" Will crowed, leaping up and scrambling to the front of the carriage.

"William!" Will's mother snapped, but she caught herself and sighed. "Oh, dear. William, do be careful!"

"Yes, Mother!" he perched up next to his father to watch, delighted in the feel of sunlight on his skin, and the sight of almost alien buildings and people pass by. He turned to his father. "Where are they?"

"Just a bit farther in," Syaoran assured him. "See the big building in the middle?"

Will squinted, and grew even more excited. "Yeah!"

"That's the palace of Nihon," his father explained. "That's where Kurogane-san and Fai-san are living, serving the goddess and the princess Tomoyo-chan."

Will was practically jittery with excitement. "Faster!" he cried, causing people from the sides of the roads to stare. Not that Will cared. "_Faster_!"

"Easy there, William!" his father looped an arm around his shoulders to keep the boy from jumping out of the carriage in his eagerness. "We'll be there in plenty of time! Sit still and be patient!"

Will pouted and wriggled. "I don't wanna!" he whined. "I wanna meet Fai-san and Kurogane-san!"

Syaoran placed a solid hand on Will's head. "Be _still_," he said sternly, but warmly. "They're not going to run away before we even see them!"

Will's pout intensified, but he slouched and let his father have his way. They were nearing the palace anyway.

His father still had his hand tangled in Will's sun-kissed blond hair even as they passed through the gate into the palace of Nihon, a warm and comforting presence that Will knew he would never be able to replace, not for the world. He loved the feeling he had whenever his parents would touch his hair. It comforted him.

Syaoran tousled Will's hair a bit, drawing him from his thoughts. When the boy looked up at his father questioningly, the brunette pointed off to one side of the palace, where a wide expanse of grass could be seen, littered with straw dummies and weapon racks. There were two people there, a man and a boy, both shirtless.

Will knew he should have noticed that the man was Kurogane-san by his father's prodding, but he had eyes only for the smaller of the black-haired males. He had a wooden sword in his hands, holding it as if it was a new toy to play with, and his sword man's stance was graceful, bare feet shifting effortlessly as he made a swing at a straw dummy, and knocked it straight off of its stick. Sweat clung appealingly to his thin frame, and dripped down to his low-hanging dark tan trousers. His skin seemed to absolutely glow in the afternoon sun.

Will was hypnotized instantly.

His mother and father called out to them, jarring their son from his staring, and the large man—Kurogane-san—turned. The boy, however, kept practicing until the man turned and snapped something to him from over his shoulder, and only then did he relax his posture, turning as well.

He looked about Will's age!

Will forced himself to look away so as to be caught staring at the boy, and instead turned his attention to the larger of the males. Kurogane-san walked up to the carriage, and Will's eyes bulged in their sockets. He was _huge_!

"You are looking well, Kurogane-san," Sakura called, voice warm.

The large man grunted, but gave a little half-smile that was more of a smirk.

"How is Fai-san?" Will's mother continued, smiling back.

"Fai-san is very happy to see you returning after so long, Sakura-chan~," a new voice called in a sing-song voice. A tall man wearing a kimono with his trademark blond hair and blue eyes strolled up to the carriage, and stood beside Kurogane-san. "Come now, dear. Enough with the titles. We've known each other for too long for that to continue."

Sakura blushed. "S-Sorry, Fai-sa—Fai."

Fai grinned brightly, and skipped around Kurogane-san to stand beside the boy just behind him. "Nico, dear, don't be so sullen. Stand beside your daddy~!" the man crooned happily, seemingly oblivious to both of the black-haired males' pointed glares as he practically _petted_ the boy's mop of black hair. Instantly a swell of jealousy tightened Will's chest, but he managed to beat it down before their attention turned to him.

Fai's smile faltered for but a moment at the sight of Will before it came back stronger than ever before. "Now who is _this_ cutie?" the man asked, looking at the boy's parents.

By then, Will's parents were climbing out of the carriage. Sakura stroked the muzzle of the horses in turn, earning compassionate whickering in return. Syaoran offered to help Will down, but the boy jumped down all on his own. The two men were even _taller_ when Will was standing on the ground. He had to crane his neck to even look at them!

Syaoran placed a solid hand on my shoulder. "This is William, our son."

"William-kun, eh?" Fai cocked his head with a mischievous smile. For a heart-stopping moment, Will was afraid that the blonde had noticed his stray gazes to the ignorant shirtless boy. "That's a mouthful," was all he said, though, and his grin didn't fade. In fact, it only got _wider_, if that was possible! He kneeled down in front of Will. "I think I'll call you Willie-chan!" he cried gleefully, pulling the boy into his embrace. "Hello Willie-chan! You can call me Fai-chan!"

Fai…_chan_ pulled back enough to point at the men behind him. "And those are—"

"Don't you _dare_ mutilate our names," Kurogane snapped, glowering.

"—Kuro-burro and Neeks-chan!"

"_YOU GODDAMN MAGE_!"

"_Eeeek_!" Fai-chan cried playfully, holding onto Will tighter. "Save me, Willie-chan! The _scaaaary_ Kuro-chan is going to hurt meeee~!" He even held out a hand to Nico. "Neeks-chan! Save mommy!"

The boy quirked up an eyebrow and managed to look unimpressed, but his cheeks colored. Will wondered if it had anything to do with being called "Neeks-chan" or how his strange caretaker seemed to be convinced that he was the boy's "mommy".

Fai-chan's arms were warm and gentle, though. Will figured that he was or would be a very kind fath—_mother_ to whoever he decided to birth or take in. _Scratch the _birth _part, _Will thought after a moment. _If he's calling Kurogane-san _"daddy" _and himself _"mommy",_ there's no way he doesn't have attraction for men._

Will felt his cheeks heat up._ Just like me._

"Awwww~!" Fai-chan sang. He nuzzled cheeks with Will. "He's _blushing_~!"

Will sputtered incoherent thoughts and tried unsuccessfully to push Fai-chan away so he could cover his face in embarrassment, but he had no such luck.

And that was how Nico got his first impression of the son of Sakura and Syaoran, however meager it might've been.

* * *

><p><strong>Isn't a blushing and enraptured Will so adorable? And with Fai, it's even cuter! I almost squealed when he was coming up with the nicknames! I only just realized how cute Fai and Will could be as some sort of dynamic duo of flirting and teasing!<strong>

**Nico, you and your grumpy daddy don't stand a chance once Will's used to Fai's coddling! That brooding and cold nature won't live long!**

**I already have the second chapter finished, so it'll be up to you all if I'll continue this or not. 5+ follows/reviews, and I'll be all for it!**

**Thanks for your time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Enough said.**

**Eye for the Samurai; Chapter 2**

"I think Willie-chan has a crush on Neeks-chan~!"

Kurogane looked up from where he was reading manga, disgruntled. He had just gotten to a good part, and now this annoying blond wanted to ruin his fun! "What?" he snapped, not wanting to trust his ears with that utterance from the mage sitting cross-legged in front of him. Maybe he could blame it on his age.

The mage pouted and tilted his head to one side, trying unsuccessfully to make a puppy-dog face. "I _said_," he sighed after a moment, scooting himself a bit closer to Kurogane. He leaned forward as if this was a serious issue, but his face was anything _but_ serious. "I think _Willie-chan_ has a crush on _Neeks-chan_!"

"Why do you think that, idiot?" Kurogane grumbled, turning back to his manga, only to have it snatched from his hands by a grinning, very stupid mage. The blonde crawled forward until their faces were almost touching.

"Come on, Kurgy!" Fai whispered, his face almost splitting with his grin. "Isn't it _romantic_? Neeks-chan and Willie-chan! Our son and their son!"

"He's not _our son_," Kurogane pointed out in a growl, peeved that the mage had the guts to throw his manga across the room, where the ninja couldn't get to it while the idiot blonde was practically on top of him.

"He might as well be," Fai returned easily. His smile molded into something suggestive. "And Willie-chan can be the Fai to his Kurogane!" and with that startling comment he leaned forward to give his ninja a small peck on the lips.

Kurogane sputtered, ears tinging pink. "W-Wait—_WHAT_?!"

Fai wrapped his sinewy arms around Kurogane's neck, and ducked down to kiss the larger man's Adam's apple. His smile faded into something more somber. "Neeks-chan needs to find happiness," the mage whispered, his face serious as he examined the faint scars crisscrossing across his ninja's tan skin. He removed an arm from around Kurogane's neck to trace one down to the larger man's collarbone, and then over to his left arm. He rested his hand there. "I don't want him to suffer like we had to."

Kurogane sighed, taking the mage's hand in his own. "Don't be an idiot," he muttered, avoiding eye contact with the blonde.

Fai looked up and smiled sadly. "Look at my darling Kuro-puu, trying to put on the brave face for me." His blue eyes flickered back down to Kurogane's left arm. "You'll have to replace it again soon, won't you?" Fai murmured as an afterthought. "Isn't that younger brother Fuuma-san coming to deliver a new one?"

Kurogane didn't even glance at his arm, but he did shift his shoulder as though it were uncomfortable to move. "Yeah, it's about that time again," he admitted.

"So what do you think?"

"Huh?"

"About Will and Nico," Fai said, squeezing his ninja's hand.

"Oh." Kurogane realized Fai was being serious when he reverted to Nico's actual name instead of that damn nickname. At least it wasn't as bad as some of the nicknames the mage had given _him_. Kurogane fought a shudder at that thought. "Ah… Um…"

Fai's lips curled back into a smile. His eyes gentled. "I think it could be good, too," he murmured, nestling his head under Kurogane's chin and sitting fully on the ninja's lap. Their hands rested comfortably between their stomachs, and Fai's other hand tangled its fingers in spiky black hair. "Nico has suffered too much already. I want him to be as happy as you do."

Kurogane grunted.

Fai smiled against the larger man's neck. "Do you think we could hook them up, or is it better to just leave them to themselves?"

"The boy and his parents will be leaving again in a few weeks," Kurogane mumbled into the mop of blond hair. "We could get them to write each other."

Fai practically squealed, pulling away and bouncing in excitement. "Yes _yes YES_!" Fai threw the arm that had previously been around the ninja's neck into the air with a victorious _whoop_. "That's such a _good idea_, Kuro-sama! Smart doggy!" Fai patted Kurogane's head.

"I'm not a damn dog," Kurogane growled, but it was only half-hearted anger. He was too used to the mage's antics by that point.

"Sure you are!" Fai crooned, playing with the ninja's hair. "You're _my _doggy, Kuro-woof-woof!"

Kurogane growled wordlessly.

Fai giggled, pulled away and stood in one fluid motion. He looked down at his ninja's disheveled hair warmly. "I think we should go see how Tomoyo, Sakura and Syaoran are doing. No doubt our children will be getting hungry~!"

Kurogane grumbled but stood obediently, following the mage out the sliding door.

"And Kurgy?" Fai called over his shoulder.

"Yeah?" Kurogane snapped.

Fai smiled. "Could you go find Mokona? I'm sure Sakura and Syaoran would be delighted to see her."

"Bull," Kurogane huffed. "You just want to see the blond kid's reaction."

Fai's grin turned sly. "Guilty is charged, Kuro-tan. I'll see you soon."

* * *

><p>Will's reaction on seeing Mokona was nothing short of hilarious. Even Nico had trouble keeping a straight face.<p>

When Kurogane-sensei had first walked in with the cat curled up contently in his disheveled black hair, Will had jolted straight to his feet in an instant with a delighted "_Kitty_!" before immediately sliding back down onto the floor cushions with a humiliated blush heating his cheeks as he realized just what he'd done. Nico watched as Fai-sensei and Will's parents exchanged chuckles.

Mokona was a beautiful snow-white she-cat with a ruby-red jewel imbedded in her forehead. When Nico had asked his respective parents as to why she had that jewel in her head, they'd replied that Mokona had been born with it, but that it didn't cause her any pain. It was just because she possessed magic as Fai-sensei did, and it was held in her orb as the mage's did in his sapphire-colored eyes.

Mokona meowed happily at the attention she had received, and leapt down from Kurogane-sensei's head, scampering to Will and immediately curling up in his lap with a large yawn. _'Mokona's sleepy,'_ the she-cat's inner voice declared to the occupants of the room. _'Wake Mokona up when the food comes, please.'_

Fai laughed softly. "Very well, Mokona."

Mokona yawned again and nestled securely against Will's lap. Nico took note of the boy's delighted expression as he stroked her fur, which was as soft as the down of a baby chicken by Nico's experience. The oddball of a cat had seemed to be set with sleeping next to the boy's head no matter how many times he pushed her away since the moment he had arrived as Kurogane-sensei's apprentice.

_I wonder if Mokona will be sleeping with Will while they're here,_ Nico mused with a thoughtful frown. His eyes lowered to the low-set table he was kneeling in front of.

The thought sounded very…cold.

He shook the thought away like an irritating fly buzzing around his head. _Let the cat do what the cat wants!_

"So, now that we're all here," Sakura-san said, lacing her fingers together in her lap. "Perhaps we could exchange stories before dinner arrives?"

"That's a good idea, Sakura," Fai-sensei smiled from beside me. At my other side, Kurogane-sensei grunted. "But it's been so long—almost ten years! Who'll start?"

Syaoran-san was the one who answered. His eyes were on me. "I'd start, but I'm curious about you, Nico-kun. I mean, I've heard from Tomoyo-chan that you're Kurogane's apprentice, but where did you come from?"

Nico stiffened his spine and focused on the table in front of him.

He felt the gentle hand of Fai-sensei rest on his back. "Kuro-sama found Neeks-chan on a mission out of the country about… 2 or 3 years ago to slay some demons that had flown abroad. He was alone, so Kurgy brought him home. Imagine my surprise when I also return from overseas to find a boy standing with our big doggy here, learning kanji!" Fai-sensei chuckled good-naturedly. "He's been a good boy, though, so I can't complain. I've always wanted another little doggy, and here we have Neeks-chan! I thank Kuro-chan about ten times a day!"

Kurogane-sensei coughed under his breath. "More like ten _million_."

Fai chose to ignore him, because Nico was sure he'd heard.

And Nico was becoming very uncomfortable with the piercing gaze of the boy named Will jabbing into his forehead. He had felt that gaze on him almost entirely throughout the day since they'd arrived, and Nico didn't know what the boy's problem was. He had thought that by avoiding his gaze the irritating blonde would just give up and stop looking, but it didn't seem to be working out in Nico's favor.

_Is this how Kurogane-sensei feels when Fai-sensei's being insistent?_ Nico wondered for a fleeting moment. Then he shook his head to himself.

Fai-sensei squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

Sakura looked at Nico with warmth in her gaze. "I'm glad Kurogane found you," she said with such sincerity that Nico had to glance up. Her entire _being_ seemed to radiate compassion. "They're very kind people, you know?"

Nico didn't know how to respond in a way that would correspond with her honesty, so he opted with nodding dumbly and mumbling "yes, ma'am," in his home tongue, nervousness causing him to revert to it.

Syaoran-san's eyebrows rose. "Italian," he said, impressed.

"Yes, sir," Nico muttered, sliding his gaze back to the table.

Tomoyo gave a small smile from where she sat at the head of the table. "Nico, please sit straight."

Nico straightened his spine, not having realized that he had been slouching. "Sorry, princess."

"Just Tomoyo," she said with a sad little frown. Her head tilted to the side. "You could trust us a little more, you know? We're family."

_My family's dead_, Nico thought dully.

As if Fai-sensei had heard his thoughts, he wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders, and even Kurogane-sensei turned slightly in his direction. They were sending Nico those vibes that they repeatedly did near this time of day just about every day. _You're welcome here,_ it said to the black-haired boy. _Your home is here, with us. We're your parents now, your family. You don't have to push us away. You don't have to be afraid of us._

"_But this isn't my home!"_ Nico remembered crying out after a month or so of staying with the strange couple, the princess, and the cat. To him they had been too nice, too caring, and only training in magic or swordsmanship brought about the harsh reality he knew to be true. They could never love him; he was just a hindrance until he had mastered their arts and was able to fight alongside them like a damn _puppet_!

But he trained day and night to please them, just in the thought that they would decide they didn't like him for not complying with their training and threw him back out into the charcoal ruins of his dead homeland. He just wanted them to provide food for his stomach and a roof over his head, never mind the stupid _compassion_ people like Fai-sensei and Princess Tomoyo seemed to spout like it was some sort of drug that could get Nico out of his "brooding little head".

And what was _with_ damn airy-head blonds staring daggers into his head?!

Finally having enough, Nico's eyes shot up to meet Will's, glaring for all it was worth. Will seemed aghast at his sudden reaction, and quickly turned his gaze to the she-cat in his lap, cheeks tinging pink.

What was _that_ about?

"Come now, Neeks-chan," Fai-sensei murmured, rubbing tiny circles on the boy's back like it was supposed to soothe him. "Don't glare; people can be curious if they want to be."

Nico huffed irately.

"Now you're starting to sound like Kuro-woof," Fai murmured under his breath.

Fortunately, that was when food decided to come rolling in with servants in tow, or else Kurogane-sensei would have been chasing Fai-sensei around the room for the rest of the day screaming profane and colorful language, while most likely also slashing at the blonde with his sword.

Nico almost made it out alive.

However, Fai-sensei seemed to have other ideas. "Neeks-chan," he called out while the boy tried to sneak away, preferably to his room.

Nico stiffened, and slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder.

Fai-sensei was standing, and turned to Sakura and Syaoran for a moment. "I think Neeks-chan should give Willie-chan a little tour of the area. What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea!" Sakura smiled, and Syaoran gave his own consenting nod. "Do you want a tour, William?"

"Yes, please!" Will piped up, more than happy to stand with a content Mokona in his arms.

'_And then the three of us could share Neeks-chan's room!'_ Mokona suggested with a purr. _'That way, I get to sleep with both of the little puppies!'_

"Great idea!" Fai-sensei sang, twirling a finger in the air. "In that case, Sakura and Syaoran can sleep in our room just like old times~!"

_So much for not having to sleep with the cat,_ Nico thought, though he didn't know for sure if he was disappointed or not. She _did_ seem to have a positive impact whenever he would have a nightmare, not that he'd admit it out loud to her or any other living being in existence.

Nico wordlessly turned away and walked towards his room. If he could survive a tall skinny blonde insisting he call him "mommy", the boy could survive another irritating blonde for a few nights in the same room as him. There would be no tours, no. Nico had no patience for any of those. Mokona would show the boy his way around eventually.

"You're name is Nico, right?" Will's voice registered in Nico's ears. His head twitched as a reflex, and his eyes flickered over to the blonde before immediately moving back in front of them.

"Yes," Nico answered quietly.

"Just Nico?"

Nico scowled at nothing in particular.

Will didn't seem fazed by his response. "I'm William, Li William. But you can call me Will, if you'd like."

Nico said nothing. He walked to one of the walls and slid open the door to his room and went inside, doing his best to ignore the blonde, who was growing more and more irritating by the second. He was starting to regret his decision on not outright refusing letting the boy sleep in his room. But he kept his mouth clamped shut.

_I can't upset Fai-sensei and Kurogane-sensei,_ he thought dimly. _They might throw me out if I do. I'll have to bear with this idiot for now. Perhaps I could think of it as a test of patience given to me by Kurogane-sensei._

While Nico was brooding, Will chattered aimlessly with Mokona. He could tell that Nico didn't want to be talked to as the black-haired boy went to the desk in his room and plopped down in the chair, and wanted to respect that. Will kneeled on the wide expanse of wood that was the floor.

"So you all use futons here?" Will guessed.

The she-cat Mokona nodded. Her mouth seemed to curl into a grin. "Willie-chan sure knows a lot about us here in Nihon!"

"Not really," he mumbled, looking over to the sliding doors that he would later learn led to the balcony. They were closed at the moment. Will shifted his eyes to the ceiling. "I just know what Mom and Dad taught me."

"Mom and Dad?" Mokona quipped.

"English variation," Will said with a shrug. He returned his gaze to the she-cat. "I've always liked English. It's felt more…_natural_ to me than the languages of Clow country and Nihon. Nico doesn't like me much, does he?" he added, casting a quick glance over at the boy hunched over his desk, reading a scroll.

Mokona hummed, and lowered her voice to a mere whisper. "Mokona wouldn't like it if you saw him as _disliking_ you. He's more…_untrusting_. Mokona has had enough trouble trying to sleep near him! Fai and Kuro-puu, too…"

Will blinked at Mokona before glancing through his eyelashes at Nico. "He doesn't trust you guys? Hasn't he been here for, like, two or three years?"

Mokona sighed, curling up more securely in the blonde's arms. "He's afraid of falling in love with a family again, Mokona's sure," the she-cat murmured, also watching the boy with warm eyes. "But Mokona, Fai and Kurgy _do_ love him. We want him to be our little boy, Fai especially. He and Kuro remember what it's like to lose their entire families and be left alone, and Fai doesn't want him to succumb to that darkness as he had as a child." Mokona moved her eyes to Will. "But first, Neeks needs to trust people again, and he can't do that when Fai and Kuro-puu are training him as much as he asks them too. He believes that it's _them_ telling him what to do and when to do it. He needs someone who won't be pressured to do that, and become a sanctuary to vent his feelings to. Neeks-chan needs a _friend_."

Will glanced at Nico again, and reeled back in shock when the boy was glaring over his shoulder at them.

"What are you whispering about?" he growled, eyes dark.

"Nihon," Will crowed immediately, flushing bright red at being caught. "Fai-chan and Kurogane-san. They seem like nice people."

Nico huffed and turned back to his scroll. "You don't have to whisper," he snapped. "You'll bother me even more with that _hissing_."

"S-Sorry," Will mumbled, ducking his head.

"Feh."

Mokona hopped up and trotted over to Nico, purring a scolding sound. "Come _on_, Neeks-chan~! Be a bit nicer to Willie-chan! He just wanted to know more about you~!"

Will sputtered. "Wh-Wh-What?!" His face flushed even darker.

Nico turned in his seat to glare down at Mokona, not once glancing in Will's direction.

"Mokona wants Neeks-chan and Willie-chan to get to know each other!" the cat declared, waving her tail in the air. Her jewel glowed brightly, which would have confused Will had he not been so flustered over Mokona's declaration about him.

"And you won't let me study until we do, I take it?" Nico growled as if the thought of talking to Will was unappealing if not horribly disgusting. Will deflated even more. Nico _really_ didn't like him.

Mokona meowed and hopped on her paws. "Nope!"

Nico sighed slowly and heavily. He looked at the ceiling and muttered "Goddess" under his breath.

He got out of his chair and walked to the side, where his futon was folded up neatly next to the desk. He picked it up and laid it out in front of the blonde boy gapping stupidly in front of him, and sat down on it as gracelessly as he could. It felt nice for him to sit on his futon, it allowed for more comfortable brooding.

Nico straightened his spine, crossed his legs, and folded his arms against his chest. Even in the formal wear he had been _suggested _to wear to dinner by Princess Tomoyo, he felt rather uncomfortable in front of the other boy, as if he were vulnerable. _Naked_.

Nico shook his head and levelled his indifferent gaze on Will.

"What is it that you were asking Mokona-chan, just a moment ago?" he asked.

Will was still gapping at him as though he had grown another head.

"William-san," Nico growled.

Will blinked. "H…Huh?"

"I asked you something."

"Oh… _Oh_, s-sorry… What was it, again?"

The black-haired boy snorted. "Seriously? You're so damn flustered just because the cat decided to let _the cat out of the bag_?"

"Hey!" said cat yelped. She had followed Nico as he'd moved around the room, and had recently laid claims to the boy's lap. "Mokona was only trying to get Neeks-chan to talk to Willie-chan, and it worked!"

Nico glanced down at the cat, before looking Will in the eye. "What. Were. You. Talking. About?" he drew out.

Will blinked again.

"With Mokona-chan," Nico added quietly.

"Wh…Why you didn't seem to like me?" Will said in a voice that made his statement a question.

Nico frowned. "And what was Mokona-chan's answer?"

"That Neeks-chan is too untrusting!" Mokona provided helpfully, waving her tail.

"I trust you not to slit my throat in the middle of the night," Nico stated blandly. "That's trust enough, isn't it?"

"You need a family," Will said, unsure why he was speaking up. Nico's head snapped up so he could look at the blonde. "And friends. People that you trust and love."

Nico bristled. "You don't know me," he hissed, back arching. "You don't know why I'm here or what I'm doing here. I'm not Fai-sensei's and Kurogane-sensei's child, so why am I here? I'm their apprentice, meant to master their tricks. Nothing more. Why do I need to _trust_ and _love_ them when they don't actually care for me?"

"Why were you at dinner with the family then?" Will inquired, tilting his head to one side.

Nico's expression didn't change. "Because I'm their apprentice," he repeated.

"Why does Fai-chan want you to call him _mommy_ then?"

Nico sneered. "I'm supposed to _know_ what goes on in that stupid blonde's head?"

Will frowned back. "I'm blond too," he told the black-hair boy whiningly.

"I know," Nico huffed.

Silence stretched between the boys, until Will was squirming in uncomfortableness.

"Go on to the baths," Nico suggested, jerking his chin to the side sliding doors. "Out those doors is a low balcony with a personal outdoor bath. It's fairly small, but it does its job."

Will stood, unbuckling his shirt as he went. His desert cloak was already on the floor. "Are you coming?" he asked, innocently curious.

Nico was staring fixatedly at the opposite wall. "It's small," the boy repeated. "Most likely too small for the two of us to bathe together." He was supposing that Will was still accustomed to bathing with his parents, which was way too feminine for the black haired boy's tastes. Nit that he said anything about it, of course.

"Sure it's big enough!" Mokona quipped. She jumped out of Nico's lap and trotted up to Will. "Mokona bathes with Neeks-chan _all_ the time! Willie-chan is _sure_ to fit!"

Will slid open the door and gazed in awe at the softly bubbling pool, illuminated by only the magically lit torches and the silver light of the moon. "It looks big."

"Willie-chan agrees! Neeks-chan _must_ come with us to the baths!"

Nico muttered something incoherent under his breath, but he stood anyway.

Will led the way to the pool, and stopped right at the edge, looking at the moon's reflection on the water's surface. "It's pretty," the blonde murmured.

"How old are you, again?" Nico sighed, stripping himself of his shirt.

Will did the same. "Eight."

"Hmph. I would have thought you were _six_ by the way you're acting."

"How old are _you_?"

"Seven."

Will looked over at Nico, dubious. "I'm older than you."

Nico rolled his eyes, removing his shoes. "The other way around, if you ask me."

"Huh?"

Nico looked at Will. "Age accounts to maturity, not when you were born. At least that's how it is around _here_."

Will shifted from foot to foot nervously. "But—"

"If you're wondering about that little difference between our ages, it's because your parents are an oddity in that they were born _the same day_ and have no age difference between them. Seriously, have you even _met_ Fai-sensei?"

Will frowned. "Is Fai-chan that much younger than Kurogane-san?"

Nico snorted, his lips actually quirking _upwards_ for once as he slipped out of the rest of his garments. "Fai-sensei is a _magician_ and a _vampire_," Nico stated. "Both age slower than humans. Fai-sensei is actually very much older than Kurogane-sensei, even though he doesn't look it."

Will's eyes went as wide as saucers. "_What_?!"

Nico huffed in amusement, his eyes sparking with light. He walked to the bath and slipped gingerly into the warm water, sighing contently. He didn't often get to enjoy the baths in his studies and nighttime training. He allowed his struggles and tensions to melt into the water.

Will walked to the other side of the pool and slid in after Nico—Mokona-chan had been right, there was enough room for the two of them together and _more_. It seemed almost as if the pool had even _grown_! Nico supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, but it still got to him a bit to witness the sheer vastness of the magic within the palace of Nihon. It never ceased to amaze him.

Will sighed happily through his nose, his mouth curling into a smile. But his eyes still looked a bit puzzled. "Fai-chan is really _older_ than Kurogane-san?"

Nico nodded once, wordlessly.

Will frowned, watching Mokona-chan splash joyfully in the water. "Um… Well, I suppose that's alright…" then he leaned forward, the curiosity absolutely sparkling in his large blue doe eyes. "Have you seen them kiss?"

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Eh?"

Will cocked his head. "I mean…they _would_, wouldn't they?" Will asked. "They're together, right?"

Nico blinked. "I _guess_. I mean… with Fai-sensei's flirting and Kurogane-sensei's acceptance of that—UGH! Why am I discussing their love life with you, you idiot?! It's none of our concern!"

Mokona-chan looked at the boys with solemn eyes. "Mokona wants to tell you something," she declared.

The boys looked down at her immediately: expectant for Will, and mildly—_very_ mildly, for that matter—curious for Nico. Mokona-chan looked them both in the eye once before casting her blue-eyed gaze up at the moon. Her tail waved above the water, and her jewel shone with a surreal sort of glow.

"Fai and Kurgy…" she trailed off softly. "I remember my first impressions of them. They look like night and day on the surface, but inside… they both endured a lot of pain. Mokona can only guess at the amount of suffering they had to go through. Fai especially…being through all he went through. Mokona remembers how Fai would hide behind his smile, to mask his pain and to keep people away. Kuro-puu was the only one who seemed to see through it without the gift that Mokona has to sense those sorts of pains."

"How did Kurogane-san mask his pains?" Will asked.

Mokona-chan seemed to frown. "Behind his strong appearance and façade of being in complete control of everything, Mokona guesses." The she-cat nodded her head sadly. "Mokona remembers a time where Fai would tease Kuro-doggy and Kuro would act a lot more hurt in pride than he does now. But Mokona thinks that Kurgy knows that Fai's teasing is a coping method, to assure him that there are people who care about him. Kurgy was Fai's first friend over so many long years of struggling and pain, and Fai was Kurgy's."

"So…they _aren't_ a couple?" Will wondered.

Nico jabbed him sharply in the chest, and earned a yelp in complaint. But Mokona-chan only smiled.

"They are as close together as Kuro-doggy and Fai-kitty can get," she murmured back. "Their loyalties, trust, and love all reside within each other. And it took quite the while for them to gain that."

"But they're together?" Will said just to make sure.

Mokona-chan looked at Will and nodded. "Fai and Kuro love each other very much. They'd do anything to keep the other safe."

Will leaned forward with a smile in his blue eyes. "So _you've_ seen them kiss, right?"

Mokona-chan's smile turned mischievous. "Is Willie-chan hoping to get in on the action, then? Get some pointers before he tries it on his own special person?"

"He's _eight_," Nico snapped pointedly.

"And you're _seven_," Will pointed out. His lower lip jutted out in a pout. "You can't tell me you're not the least bit _curious_ how they do it—kissing, that is."

Nico threw his hands in the air. "First night and I'm already regretting agreeing to this," he muttered under his breath.

Will cocked his head. "What'd you say?"

Louder, the black haired boy declared "I said that I'm done soaking! I'll be going to bed now!" He stood and got out of the water, and cursed suddenly under his breath at the gasp of William.

"Y…Your back—"

"Say anything else and _I will kill you_," the boy seethed, yanking his shirt from the ground and hurriedly pulling it on, masking the damage. Still soaking, he put on the rest of his clothes, and stomped inside.

_Idiot!_ Nico cursed himself. _You just _had_ to do that, didn't you?! Now he _knows_!_

_And he'll hate you for it,_ a little voice whispered in the back of his mind. _He'll despise you, detest you… But you knew this, didn't you? You knew that no one would ever like you. You're just a pest. A waste of space._

Nico curled up on the futon in a fetal position, his back to the sliding doors. He pulled the covers over his head, and cursed his lack of a pillow to hide his face with. _Shut up_.

The poisonous voice in his mind chuckled, but faded away.

Still fuming, it took Nico a good ten minutes to calm down his nerves, and by then the blonde boy and Mokona-chan were returning from the bath.

Will, being the idiot that he obviously was, thought that the Nico was asleep and proceeded to gather more blankets to wrap around the black-haired boy. "Going to sleep still soaked to the skin," the older boy muttered in a worried tone. "He'll catch himself a cold, he will."

Nico did his best to ignore him, and mainly succeeded. However, it was when Will cupped around him that his back tensed and threw his pretense of sleep out the window. But Will…he didn't say anything. He just laid there, body pressed against Nico's back. And Goddess he was so damn _warm_! Nico almost shivered as he adjusted to the temperature change.

Will laid a gentle hand on Nico's waist, and succumbed to sleep, faintly snoring through his nose as Nico listened, back taut and nerves running even higher than before. He was hyperaware when Mokona-chan curled up at their heads and started to snore as well.

He wanted to pull away, to curl up and sleep alone on the hardwood floor, but Will's position didn't allow for that. Nico could have pushed him away, shoved him off of the futon, but he didn't want to make a bad impression on the family that was so close to the people that took care of him. So he was stuck just lying there, stiff as a board as the two others breathed deeply and murmured under their breaths in the beginning of dreams.

Gradually, Nico memorized the pattern of the blonde's breathing, and managed to match his pace. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. His muscles, one by one, went lax.

He closed his eyes.

~ΨΩΨ~

**This became quite longer than I'd intended, but whatever! This just says how much I'm taking this story seriously!**


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